Today, a hungerstrike was launched by more than 200 migrants in the detention Center of Busmantsi. The Afghan and Pakistani people on strike are protesting against the bad circumstances in the facility, hygiene, the bad qualitiy of food and a lack of medical treatment. They are protesting as well against the agressive behaviour of the staff and discrimination of the State Agency for Refugees (SAR), considering the applications of Pakestanian citizens for protection. The discrimination is derived from the extremly delayed registration of their asylum claims form inside detention, which prolongs their detention unnecessary. The detention center works to capacity and is totally overcrowded at the moment.
The hunger strike was stopped in the evening of the 2nd November, because the police promised to satisfy all demands of the striking migrants. Bordermonitoring Bulgaria (BMB) hopes that the promises of the authorities are no empty phrases and the conditions in the detention center will change soon. Putting asylum seekers into prisons is not an answer to people in need of help.